Locum Consultant Neurosurgeon -Special interest in Spine

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS trust is seeking a Locum Consultant Neurosurgeon with a special interest in spine surgery. The successful candidate will support the neurosurgery service, provide leadership in research and teaching, and participate in emergency on-call duties. This role involves working closely with multi-disciplinary teams, contributing to high-quality care, and ensuring effective supervision of junior staff. Candidates must hold full FRCS and GMC registration, with significant experience in neurosurgery. The position offers a compensation package commensurate with experience.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Teaching opportunities

Support for research initiatives

Qualifications

• Applicants must have Full Registration with GMC and be on GMC Specialist Register.
• Experience managing adult neurosurgical patients is required.
• Knowledge of the NHS structure and recent changes is essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide a high-quality care service to patients.
• Share responsibility for 24/7 cover for the Unit on a rota basis.
• Contribute to audit programmes and clinical governance.

Skills

Clinical supervision

Effective leadership

Endoscopic neurosurgery

Research collaboration

Education

Full FRCS

Other higher degree or diploma (e.g., MD or PhD)

Tools

Information technology

Job description

Locum Consultant Neurosurgeon - Special interest in Spine

The closing date is 21 December 2025

This is a replacement Locum consultant post. The remit of the postholder will be to support the Spine and Complex Spine neurosurgery service. The postholder will also be expected to provide leadership in research and teaching as well as contribution to the neurosurgery on call rota which includes emergency paediatric and adult patients.

The post holder will be based at King's College Hospital (KCH) and will be accountable to the clinical lead of adult neurosurgery and the clinical director. The postholder will have responsibility for the patients on the ward, participate in the multi‑disciplinary team (MDT) meetings as well as clinics and theatre sessions. The postholder will show considerable flexibility in working pattern to optimise the use of theatre resources during the working week as well as the smooth running of the clinics and MDTs.

Main duties of the job

The post will be based at KCH and the proposed Job Plan for 10 programmed activities is attached consisting of 8.5 PAs of direct clinical care, with the remainder being allocated for Supporting Professional and/or other activities. The On‑Call commitment is 1:18 in the general Neurosurgical on call rota at KCH and 1:6 emergency complex spine cover.

All employees are expected to undertake work on any of the Trust's sites as required by the service. As a senior employee of the Trust, you will work in close co‑operation with, and support other clinical, medical professional and managerial colleagues in providing high quality healthcare to the Trust's patients. Integral to these responsibilities are the following:

• The provision of a first‑class clinical service
• Effective leadership to all staff engaged in the specialty
• Sustaining and developing teaching and research in conjunction with King's College London / KHP
• Undertaking all work in accordance with the Trust's procedures and operating policies
• Conducting clinical practice in accordance with contractual requirements and within the parameters of the Trust's service plans
• Maintaining the confidence of business plans and development strategies formulated for the specialty, the Care Group or the Trust

About us

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching Trusts, with a turnover of £1.8bn per annum - and we are delighted you are considering a career with us.

Our teams provide services out of five hospitals across South East London and Kent, namely King's College Hospital, the Princess Royal University Hospital, Orpington Hospital, Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup, and Beckenham Beacon.

We employ nearly 14,000 staff, who together treat over 1.5 million patients every year.

We provide a full range of local and specialist services, and our teams are nationally and internationally recognised for our work in liver disease and transplantation, neurosciences, cardiac, haemato‑oncology, fetal medicine, stroke, major trauma, and emergency medicine.

Our Strong Roots, Global Reach strategy, published in 2021, sets out our BOLD vision, and commitment towards:

• Brilliant People
• Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education
• Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do

Job responsibilities

• Provide a high‑quality care service to patients, including all aspects of treatment and relevant management duties for the proper functioning of the Care Group.
• Share responsibility with other colleagues for providing 24‑hour, 7‑day cover for the Unit on a rota basis, including covering colleagues' periods of annual leave and short‑term sickness as detailed in your contract.
• Provide clinical supervision of junior medical/dental practitioners as a shared responsibility with other consultant colleagues.
• Carry out teaching, examination and accreditation duties as required, and contribute to CPD and clinical governance initiatives.
• Commit to outpatient clinic commitments in peripheral hospitals as agreed with the Care Group’s management team where part of the service structure.
• Contribute to the Care Group’s research interests in accordance with the Trust’s R&D framework.
• Contribute to audit programmes, Morbidity and Mortality, Clinical Governance programmes and Learning from Deaths.
• Take an active role in formulating, implementing and monitoring the Care Group’s Business Plan, including discussions regarding service plans and developments with internal and external agencies.
• Conduct all activities within the contracted level of service and operating plan for service(s).
• Exercise professional leadership for all staff working in the specialty, fostering and developing projects focused towards these ends and ensuring the momentum of post‑qualification professional education and other appropriate training is maintained.
• Work in conjunction with clinical and other professional colleagues to ensure that the productivity of staff within the specialty is maintained and their job satisfaction is enhanced, including involvement in the appraisal process for peers and/or junior colleagues.
• Undertake Care Group management duties as agreed with the Care Group/Departmental Manager/Clinical Director.
• Be aware of and comply with all Trust infection prevention and control policies, including hand hygiene, personal hygiene, environmental and food hygiene.
• Prepare for and undertake protective interventions that you are responsible for in a manner that is consistent with evidence‑based practice and maintaining patient safety.
• Contribute to Consultant‑led 7‑day services and, if future developments occur, collaborate equally with other Consultant colleagues.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Higher Education

• Full FRCS
• Other higher degree or diploma (e.g., MD or PhD)
• Full Registration with GMC; name on GMC Specialist Register on date of taking up appointment.
• On the day of interview applicants must be within 6 months of CCT, in final stages of their portfolio pathway application, or be fully registered on the GMC Specialist Register. Applications not meeting these criteria will not be considered.

Training and Experience

• Wide experience in all aspects of neurosurgery (paediatric and adult) culminating in award of CCST or equivalent.
• Complex Spine Fellowship with competency to do endoscopy.
• Recent experience managing adult neurosurgical patients.
• Training and experience in the management of peripheral nerve disease.

Administration

• Experience in day‑to‑day organisation of adult neurosurgical services in a busy teaching hospital.
• Familiarity with information technology and general computer skills.
• Familiar with current structure of the UK National Health Service and conversational with recent initiatives and changes.

Management and Leadership

• Able to demonstrate leadership capability within multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Management course and/or qualification.

Audit and Quality Improvement

• Thorough understanding of principles of medical audit.
• Must have undertaken and completed audit projects.
• Audit publications.

Research and Publications

• Experience of clinical research.
• Publication of relevant review articles or case reports.
• Relevant research experience in one or more aspects of neurosurgery, including setting up trials.
• GCP.

Teaching

• Experience of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and exam preparation.
• Teaching skills course/qualification.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and, as such, a submission for Disclosure will be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust